LITMIR.BIZ

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not even native to this area, and it had cost a small fortune in fees to get rid of the nasty creatures.

      But things were looking up, Lex decided. His flat-lined spirits experienced a promising arc. “I’m sure everything will run smoothly. You can rest assured that my staff and I will do our part to see that it does.”

      Smiling, she stood. “I’m counting on it.”

      Lex moved to his feet as well and felt compelled to clear the air one more time about the Beano incident. He shoved a hand through his hair. “I wanted to apologize again about the dog. I’ve put him up. Is, er…Mrs. Bonner all right?” he asked, unintentionally putting a subtle emphasis on the Mrs. part.

      Now what in the hell had made him fish for that tidbit? Lex wondered, thoroughly annoyed. He presently had too many things to concern himself with to be wondering whether or not a certain gorgeous author was married or not. More things to worry about than that sexy mouth, or those soft fawn curls, or those warm brown eyes. Another snake of heat coiled in his belly at the thought, forcing him to expel a slow breath.

      Trudy paused, gave him a lingering, enigmatic look that made the tops of his ears burn. Her lips slid into a small smile. “It’s Ms. Bonner, and yes, she’s fine.”

      Feeling ridiculous, he nodded awkwardly. “Good.”

      She gave him another curiously probing look, traced his features with her gaze, then mumbled under her breath, “Nope, I just don’t see it.”

      Lex blinked. “I’m sorry?”

      “Nothing,” she said smoothly. “Do you read the Zoe Wilder novels, Mr. Ellenburg?”

      “I haven’t yet,” Lex admitted, embarrassed. It had been on his to-do list, but for various reasons, that particular item kept getting shuffled to the bottom of the page. There was always something that needed to be done—some task left unfinished—and reading was simply a luxury he hadn’t had time for of late.

      “Oh, you should,” she admonished, clearly scandalized. “Faith is phenomenally talented. Her characters—Zoe Wilder and Nash Austin—are larger than life, very vivid.” She heaved a small sigh. “No one writes action adventure quite like her. She’s the best. And this newest book…it’s the best one yet.”

      He crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh, really?”

      “Yes.” She shifted a bit closer, as though sharing an important secret. “The cliff-hanger at the end of book three—Death By Design—is revealed on the very first page of the prologue and it just gets better and better from there. It’s my new favorite.” She chuckled, rocked back on her heels. “Actually, every new book is my new favorite,” she confided.

      Lex laughed as well. She was clearly very passionate about her boss’s work. “I’ll be sure and check them out. I just haven’t had the time.”

      “Oh, make the time,” Trudy insisted. “You won’t regret it.”

      Lex scratched his temple. “So are you playing a part this weekend, or are you just supervising behind the scenes?” Though it didn’t sound like anything he would particularly enjoy, Lex couldn’t help but be a little curious about the idea.

      She sighed wistfully. “I’m supervising behind the scenes. Faith wanted to me to play the part of Zoe.” She lowered her voice. “She’s very anxious about it, but the fans expect her to do it, and she mustn’t let them down. After all, that’s the whole purpose of this weekend. She wrote it, the mystery, that is, so she should be all right.”

      Now that was interesting, Lex thought, intrigued. He arched a brow. “Why doesn’t she want to do it?”

      Trudy winced regretfully. “She doesn’t feel comfortable. You’d have to read the books to fully understand. Faith is worried that she won’t be able to pull off playing Zoe. Zoe is one tough cookie,” she conceded with a thoughtful nod. “She’s a kick-butt heroine. Brash, brave and sexy, wears slinky clothes and red lipstick. Nothing like Faith. Faith’s on the shy side, likes things calm and orderly. Sedate.” Trudy chuckled. “Zoe is far from sedate. Still,” she sighed, “I think that Faith is a whole lot more like Zoe than she realizes, and playing the part this weekend, I hope, will go a long way toward showing her that.”

      Another intriguing item, Lex thought, as though he needed to know another. Hell, he’d been instantly enchanted with her. Probably the less he knew about her, the better, but to his immense consternation and stupidity, that didn’t keep him from fishing for more. “And this Nash Austin character,” Lex said. “He’s her hero?”

      Trudy bobbed her head in assent. “Right. Her editor, John Wallace, is going to play his part. Faith said she couldn’t do it with a stranger, that it would simply be too difficult, too embarrassing.” Trudy’s eyes twinkled again and she regarded him closely. “The characters have a very steamy relationship.” She bounced on the balls of her feet. “They positively burn up the pages.”

      A sickening sensation swelled in his stomach, preventing him from making a comment. He grunted noncommittally and forced his lips into what he hoped resembled a smile. Time to cut bait, Lex decided abruptly. “Well, if everything is settled,” he told her, “I have a few things I need to attend to.”

      Like splitting wood for tonight’s fire. Regrettably, there was no wood fairy who would take care of the job for him, and he couldn’t afford to buy it by the cord, a luxury his competitors enjoyed. Like most everything else around here, he had to take care of it himself. He kept a minimal, yet well-trained staff, and had promised Christmas bonuses to them for taking on additional duties not found in their typical job descriptions. Thanks to Faith Bonner and her group, Lex would have enough money to make good on that promise as well as take care of a few pressing renovations—ones that were shuffled to the end of the list while he’d been fixing everything else that had gone kaput this season.

      “Oh, certainly,” she told him. “I think we’ve covered everything.”

      “Good. I’ll see you in the dining room this evening, then?”

      “We’ll be there.” With that, Trudy took her leave.

      Lex waited until she was out of earshot before he expelled a relieved breath. He didn’t have a problem discussing menu changes, or various decorations, or helping add little clues for the upcoming event.

      He did, however, have a problem thinking about Faith Bonner and her editor recreating scenes from her books in which they “burned up the pages.” For reasons he didn’t care to explore, the idea made him feel as if he’d eaten bad shrimp. Made him want to put his fist through a wall. Made him want to haul her to his bedroom and burn up the sheets, an act he’d make certain she’d find more agreeable than any flesh session she might dream up for her books.

      Which was completely out of the question.

      Time to eliminate thought with action, Lex decided abruptly. He stopped by the front desk and told George where to find him if something came up, then headed toward the back.

      The moment he stepped out into the porch, Beano lumbered to his feet and issued a short impatient howl, which meant one thing—please let me out of here. He’d gotten too big for that pen, Lex thought absently, regretting again having to put him up. He winced. “Sorry, buddy. Maybe later.”

      His skin suddenly prickled and he knew before he heard the creak of the rocker she was there. His step momentarily faltered. “Hi,” he managed to murmur. “Enjoying the view?”

      She toed the rocker to a stop. “Yes, I am. It’s gorgeous. So much color,” she said with a sigh. “It’s truly beautiful.”

      That weird connection he’d noted before made his scalp tingle, and simply looking at her caused a curious knot of anticipation to form in his belly. Lex told his feet to keep moving, to descend the steps and move toward the woodpile, so it was quite disconcerting when they led him across the porch, where he leaned against the railing right in front of her.

      “Every

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